


Bedtime

by Lalelilolu



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bedtime Stories, Family Feels, Fluff, M/M, Malec Secret Santa 2020, References to Supernatural (TV), alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28340328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalelilolu/pseuds/Lalelilolu
Summary: Getting Max to sleep is a task for the whole family.Written for the Malec Secret Santa 2020
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Max Lightwood-Bane, Alec Lightwood & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood & Max Lightwood-Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane & Max Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Max Lightwood-Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane
Comments: 14
Kudos: 74
Collections: The Malec Secret Santa - Edition 2020





	Bedtime

**Author's Note:**

  * For [high_warlock_of_brooklyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/high_warlock_of_brooklyn/gifts).



> I hope you like this one, I have lived on your blog the past few weeks and I am glad I got to write for such a sweet person. May the rest of your holidays be relaxing ♥
> 
> Thanks to [Accal1a](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accal1a/pseuds/Accal1a) and [Myulalie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myulalie/pseuds/Myulalie) for betaing this.

“Papa, tell me again please,” Max asked, not willing to go to sleep yet. 

Magnus sighed. Getting his younger son to sleep had been a fight each and every night recently. The eight-year old just didn’t want to go to bed. They all paid dearly for it, starting with Alec and Magnus, who had to tell the same bedtime story over and over again and ending with Rafael, who had to endure the same bedtime story over and over again. It took out a good chunk out of Rafael’s playtime, before he had to go to bed, too.

The latter voiced his displeasure about that rather vocally. “Max, not that again, even  _ I _ know it by heart now and I want to play with Papa. Stop being such a baby and just go to sleep.”

Magnus could feel the familiar tension behind his temple, signaling an oncoming headache, and rubbed his forehead. He wouldn’t want to give up his kids for the world, but sometimes he wished they were someone else’s problem.

“Prove it, Rafe! If you can tell me the story, like Papa always does, then I’ll never ask for it again!”

“Okay.” Rafael’s answer came promptly, even before Magnus had a chance to interject or calm them down.

Hands were shaken and deals were made.

This was how they all found themselves scattered around Max’s bed, with Max peeking out of the night sky blue sheets already dressed in his fluffy seelie onesie. Rafael was sitting next to him on the mattress with one arm around Max’s shoulders and a face that could’ve curdled milk. Magnus and Alec were sitting on the floor next to the bed.

Alec, who had joined the rest of the family on Max’s insistence so that Alec could “correct the mistakes in Rafael’s story” would act as judge.

Rafael took a deep breath and started to tell the version of the story he’d much prefer to hear every evening. “So, one day Papa was dancing in his club and then he spotted Dad,” Rafael was pointing towards his parents, “and when Dad’s sibling annoyed Papa and he wanted to make a portal home, he couldn’t anymore.” Rafeal said dismissively and continued with a very bored tone and an exasperated sigh, “and then boom,” Raphael mimed a very unenthusiastic explosion with his hands, “Dad had Papa’s magic and Papa could suddenly bear runes. Then they fell in love. The end. Can you go to sleep now?”

As expected Max started to complain. “This is not how the story goes. Papa tells it much better.”

Alec sulked a little bit. “And what about me, Blueberry?”

Max’s cheeks flushed purple before he reached out with his hand and patted Alec’s head with childish clumsiness, tugging on Alec’s hair a bit. “Sorry Daddy, but Papa makes the better sparkles. You have other good qualities.”

Alec chuckled.

“You make better pancakes.” 

Magnus fake-gasped, insulted. “I thought you liked my pancakes!”

Before Max could reply, Rafael cut in, clearly annoyed with the whole situation. “Papa, can you please tell the story already, so that we can play? You promised me!”

“Alright then, little Angel. Let’s see... where do I start?” Magnus wrapped his arm around Alec’s shoulder, who leaned in to the touch instantly, getting comfortable on the hard floor.

“Back when Valentine and his goons still threatened to upset the careful balance in the Shadow World, I used to offer refuge to every stray warlock who needed it.” Magnus made a gesture with his free hand, casting a shimmering, blue picture above the bed of a crowded room, all warlocks with their marks out. Max tried to touch someone’s horns in the projection but was only met with thin air. Like always.

“We were hiding away, but that was never a reason not to enjoy life.” Magnus looked at the projection a bit forlornly, clearly deep in thought. Alec knew Magnus was thinking about the warlocks that died that night and squeezed the hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

“The shadowhunters from the Institute needed our help with the summoning of a demon, so they had to come up with a plan. We were hiding very well and meeting up with me was not easy,” Magnus continued wistfully, playing with his ear cuff.

“Auntie Clary and Uncle Jace, right Papa?” Max interjected, barely louder than a whisper.

Alec hummed in affirmation. “They wanted to lure your Papa out and used something that used to be very precious to him.”

Magnus squinted at Alec. “Oi! I am telling the story. If you don’t stop, I’ll be the only pancake maker in the future.” 

Alec sighed and kissed Magnus’ neck. “Go on then, Mr. Storyteller.”

Magnus pouted a bit before continuing. “Well they contacted me via firemessage, and to be honest, it was more curiosity than anything else that made me go to Pandemonium that night. I had a bit of fun showing two of Valentine’s goons the door; and then Auntie Clary and Uncle Jace approached me. I couldn’t give them what they wanted, so I made a portal home. Unfortunately I must have missed one of Valentine’s goons and he wanted to attack me.”

Max gasped loudly, clutching the blanket tight to his body.

“Max you know what happens, stop acting so scared.” Rafael grumbled next to him and hit the back of his head against the headboard in frustration, but he still laid his arm around Max.

Magnus cleared his throat pointedly before continuing. “Your Dad was a vision that evening. All black and grumpy and very serious. He shot down the evil man that was about to attack me from what must have been 200 feet.” With a snip of his fingers Magnus let the scene happen on Max’s bed.

“Magnus, it was barely 60 feet.” Alec interjected.

Magnus chose to ignore him. “I could feel the arrow whir past my ear before it hit its mark.” Blue magic coiled together into the shape of said arrow and flew past Max’s ear, making his eyes grow big in awe, when he felt the same drag of air behind Magnus’ magic at his ear that his Papa must’ve felt that night.

“And then I turned around and saw him for the first time, but he didn’t even give me a second glance.” Magnus pouted a bit. “To think that I was so distracted by him, I didn’t even notice that my portal had crumbled to nothingness.”

Another gasp from Max, excited this time. “What happened next?”

Rafe rolled his eyes as his only answer, as if he wanted to say  _ Can you believe this guy? Getting excited over the same old story, that he has heard a thousand times. _

“When I tried to step through the nonexistent portal, I collided with your Dad instead. I almost fell, because I was so surprised not to be in my loft.”

“But he caught you, right?”

“Yes Max, he caught me,” Magnus mused, “I think that was a good omen since your father has always caught me from there on.”

“You’re such a sap Magnus.”

“Only for you, sayang.”

Rafael had definitely had enough. “You two are so gross. Don’t start kissing please, Max and I really don’t need to see this. Or hear this. Can you please go back to just telling the story?”

Magnus chuckled. “Alright, let’s see where was I? Ahh yes, so your Dad steadied me with his shadowhunter reflexes and the moment he touched me there was this spark, and I knew who he was. Well I didn’t know he was Alexander Lightwood, but I knew he was  _ it _ for me.”

The magic hovering over Max’s blankets took on a slightly purplish hue as Magnus remembered. “Alexander was really remarkable that evening.”

“First of all, I’m always remarkable,” Alex joked, “and second, that spark that you felt was more like me electrocuting you with your own powers, over which I had no control.”

Magnus stared at him in disbelief. “Alexander, how dare you belittle that moment for me? And this is the second time you’ve interrupted me.  _ I _ am telling the story and  _ you _ are making pancakes in the morning, so if I say there was a spark, then there was a spark, so stop telling the children lies about our magical first meeting.”

Completely oblivious to his parent’s banter Max asked another question.

“Why did you have Papa’s magic, Daddy?”

“Oh come on! You know all this already, Max. Why do you need to hear it every evening?” Rafael said, clearly frustrated. He just wanted to play with his father already.

Max shot him a dirty look - as dirty as an eight-year old's look could get. “Just because you don’t like to hear it doesn’t mean I can’t like it either. Why are you even still here if it’s bothering you so much?”

That shut Rafael up, and once the boys had settled comfortably under the blanket again, Magnus resumed manipulating the cloud of magic.

“Alexander got access to my magic because he is my soulmate, Blueberry.” The blue cloud took the shape of a person, almost as tall as the skyscrapers surrounding them. There were even shadows of wings cast against Max’s bedroom wall.

Magnus smiled at Alec happily, showing his teeth. “The angel Castiel, the first soulmate, once had his chance at love ripped away as his true love was silenced by the outer realms.” While Magnus spoke a second, smaller, human shape appeared and dissolved again, leaving the winged shadow alone between skyscrapers, with one arm outstretched. “The angel mourned his loss greatly for a long time until he didn’t anymore.” The magical person’s posture changed, determination clear in the stride of their legs and flutter of their wings.

“You see, Castiel and his siblings loved to rile each other up, and so he decided to try his luck with their children, no matter if it was his heavenly or fallen siblings. He wanted to give the children a chance he never had himself so he created soulbonds.” The picture Magnus was projecting changed again, this time it was a pretty perfect replica of Times Square floating over Max’s bed. There were a lot of faceless people, connected by the blue strings of Magnus’ magic, creating an intricate web made out of bonds.

“He didn’t really create them though,” Rafael interjected. “He just amplified them and made them into something tangible.”

“You too now Rafe? I can’t believe my storytelling is undermined by not one but two smartypants.” Magnus growled playfully.

“He’s right Magnus. An angel doesn’t have the power to create something like that, even more so if he doesn’t have his full grace, which we know he didn’t.”

“Well if you know it so much better, why don’t you two continue then?” Magnus retorted, pouting. The magic scene on Max’s bed flickered a bit.

“Alright then.” Alec clapped his hands. “Let’s see, so Castiel strengthened the bonds so much with his leftover grace, that they manifested in many different forms. Some mundanes with the sight can even see the lines and follow them, but that’s incredibly rare.”

“Thomas says he knows some girl who can see the bonds,” Rafael supplied helpfully.

“Maybe she can help him find his soulmate one day.” Alec suggested. “It’s a big advantage to have some help, as to not get surprised by a random stranger stealing your talents, especially as a shadowhunter.”

“Or a warlock.” Max chimed in. “Go on now, Daddy.”

“With your father and I, as with most of the shadow world, our powers got switched. It is said that Castiel wanted to force the mated pairs to spend as much time together as possible in order to learn from each other how to get your power back.”

“Because he didn’t get to spend enough time with his, right?”

“That’s correct Blueberry, though many speculate that he still found a way and they are happy together now. The switching of powers is a great way to ensure a good relationship between the different factions of the shadow world, since the mates are required to work together closely. It’s also the reason why the shadowhunter weapon range is so limited and we mainly use swords. I still remember how mad Mom was at me for picking up the bow. I swear I can still hear it sometimes.” 

Alec chuckled quietly and then spoke in a very high voice, that didn’t resemble Maryse’s at all, “I can’t believe you did this Alexander! What will the Clave think? Your soulmate will have to go through intensive training until you two can go out to missions again or risk being a liability to the whole squad. This is a disaster.”

Alec’s fake tirade was interrupted by Max giggling. “Grandma doesn’t sound like that at all!”

“I think I hit it spot on. Luckily it didn’t matter at all in the end. No amount of shadowhunter training could have prepared me for the strength necessary to keep your Papa’s magic at bay.”

“What is that supposed to mean, Alexander?”

“It means that I am very glad to have you in my life.”

Rafael moaned. “They are doing it again! Stop flirting. It’s disgusting.”

Magnus shot Rafael a dirty glance and then gave Alec a small peck on the lips before sticking his tongue out at his older son.

“How did you get your magic back, Papa?” Max asked completely unfazed.

Magnus started fiddling with his ear cuff and gazed at his children solemnly. “Through hard work, through opening myself up to another person, and through the most exhausting training sessions I’ve ever had to endure.” In a very audible stage whisper he added, “let me tell you one thing Blueberry, those shadowhunters are crazy.” Magnus twirled his index finger next to his temple. “Completely loco.”

“Hey!”

Magnus looked between his indignant husband and son. “What? You two know that I’m right. And Max knows it, too. Right Max?”

“Absolutely Papa!”

Their smug expressions vanished instantly once Alec descended upon Magnus, and Rafael upon Max in order to tickle them.

“You better take that back.” Alec growled and nipped at Magnus’ lips playfully.

“Or what?” Magnus challenged him.

“Or else I’ll zap you.” Alec let blue magic swirl around the tips of his finger, like sparks of electricity. “I might not be as powerful as you but maybe I have to remind you that we share our powers now. I can still electrocute you six ways to sunday.”

Before Magnus could answer with a witty comeback, a loud shriek from Max made them look up. The little warlock had tears in his eyes from being tickled so harshly by his brother, and his face was so flushed it was almost completely purple. Rafael was leaning over him, his relentless fingers still making Max squirm and wiggle in the hopes of escaping him. 

“Rafael, I think he got the message.” Alec chuckled. “You did, right Blueberry?”

Rafael stopped his attack momentarily and peered down at Max, who gasped for air. “I don’t think shadowhunters are crazy.” And then just a little bit quieter. “Not all the way.”

Before anything else could happen Magnus shooed Rafael and Alec out of the room and tucked Max in. “Do you think you can sleep now?”

Max nodded happily. 

Magnus turned around one last time before turning the lights off when the question came.

“Papa?”

“What is it Max?”

“Do you think I will find my soulmate?” The timid, scared tone almost broke Magnus’ heart and he sat down on the edge of the bed, stroking Max’s hair gently.

“I can’t guarantee you that Max, but I know that if you meet them, they will be very lucky to have you. It may take some years. I mean, I waited four centuries for mine and had almost given up hope, but in the end it was worth it. For now, all you can do is wait for them and in the meantime enjoy your life.”

Max looked at him for a long time. “I hope my soulmate is like Daddy.”

Magnus smiled. “No matter who they will be, they will be it for you.” He pressed a kiss to Max’s hair and stood up.

“Goodnight, Papa.”

“Goodnight, Blueberry.”

\---

Later that night, when Rafael had gone to bed as well, Alec and Magnus laid in bed together. Alec caressed Magnus’ pec, where he could see their soulmark over Magnus’ heart from where his head was pillowed on Magnus’ arm. He can still remember the moment it had appeared. The moment he had gotten his bow skills back and had lost a good chunk of Magnus’ magic. The moment it became clear that they would have eternity together. In that very moment it had been so clear and he’d been so full of love.

“What are you thinking about, sayang?”

“How much I love you.”

“You’ll turn a boy’s head with those words Alexander.”

“I don’t need to do that anymore. You’re mine already; and I’m yours.” With those words Alec kissed the arrow flying through a flaming portal on Magnus’ chest.

“Till death do us part.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave any kind of feedback, it helps me grow as an author ♥  
> (something you liked, disliked or surprised you? ^^)


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